Banana rack and cover



L. C. SCHMIDT.

BANANA RACK AND COVER.

APPLICATION men SEPTJ, 1921.

1,414,712 Patented May 2,1922.

PATENT osrics.

LOUIS c. sornvrrn'r, or SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

BANANA BACK AND covna.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1922.

Application filed September 1, 192 1. Seria'11 To.497-,72 2.

To allwimmit may concern: j

Be it known that T, Louis C. SCHMIDT, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Sanga-mon and State of Illinois, have invented a. new and useful Banana Rack and Cover, of'which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to racks for suspending and covers for surrounding and protecting suspended bunches of bananas. The purposes of the invention are to provide simple and effective means for suspending a bunch of bananas and in conjunction therewith to provide a light, attractive and easily cleaned cover to protect the enclosed bananas from flies; to provide a detachable cover of reticulatev material to admit air and light and also to make visible the bunch of bananas enclosed by the cover; to provide a cover having on its outside a representation of a bunch or bunches of bananas to attract customers; to provide simple and eiiective means for holding the cover around and away from the enclosed bunch of bananas;

to provide means for raising and lowering the fabric of the cover; to providea bottom -for closing the lower end of thecover and receiving detached or decayed bananas; and to provide other improved structural details.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which reference is hereby made, and will now be described in detail and the novel features thereof will be recited in the claim.

Figure 1 is a front elevationof a rack and cover embodying my invent-ion;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the same rack and cover, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, a suspended bunch of bananas being shown in elevation; and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal transverse section through the same rack and cover on the line 33 of 1. The same reference numerals designate the same parts in all the views.

Bananas exposed for sale are usually supported on a hook 4 connected with a wire or rod 5 attached to the ceiling of a room, or other stationary structure. The banana bunch 6 is supported at a convenient height above the floor.

The two longitudinal edges of meshed or netted fabric, preferably mosquito netting, are brought together and united by the stitching 8 to form a slip 7 open at both ends.

Adjacent to its upper-end the fabric is gathered and a tape or tie 9 is wrapped around the fabric on th'ewire 5 and detachably connects the fabric with the wire.

Metal arches 10 at'right angles to each other have at their juncture a hole 12 through which thewir'e' 5 extends. The termlnal parts of the arches 10 are bent and shaped to form integral brackets 18 sup portlng sheaves 14 which rotate between the brackets. r Y 1 Near the lower end of the slip 7 are loops l6 sewed on the fabric and containing a hoop l7. v

A circular sheet-metal bottom-plate 18 enters the lower end of the slip and is approximately the same diameter as the hoop 17.

Brackets 19 are riveted on the plate 18 and extend outwardly beyond the circumference of the plate.

' There are four brackets 13 connected with the hoop 15 and supporting the sheaves 14; and four brackets 19 connected with plate 18 and supporting the sheaves 20, the respectlve sheaves 20 being vertically in line with the respective sheaves 14.

There are four cords 21 co-acting with the sheaves 14 and 20. The upper end of,

each cord' is attached to the hoop 15; the cord extends downwardly around the sheave 20, upwardly around the sheave 14 and downwardly to the hoop 17 and the lower end of the cord is attached to the hoop 17.

On the under side of the plate 18, at the centre of the plate, is a fixed handle 22, used to raise and lower the plate. I

The parts are so constructed and arranged that downward movement of the plate 18 will cause upward movement of'the hoop '17 resulting in bunching the slip around the hoop 15, so that the hook 4 will be accessible for putting on or taking oil a bunch of bananas; and reversely, if the plate 18 be pushed upwardly the hoop 1 7 will descend, carrying the lower part of the slip with it and will stop on the plate 18 thereby completely closing the cover. I

To use the cover, the parts being assembled as described; the upper part of the slip will be gathered around and tied on the wire 5. The plate 18 will be pulled downwardly to raise the hoop 17 to bunch the slip around the hoop 15. The bunch of bananas will be. placed on the hook 4 and the plate 18 will then be pushedupwardly to close the cover. To take bananas from the bunclr the plate 18 will be pulled down- V by Letters Patent is:

Wardly to cause thehoop 17 to raise the slip to give access to the bunch of bananas from Which the desired bananas" 'vvilhb .videdwith sheaves and a hoopuniting said arches in combination with a slip supported on said frame; a hoe-pattached lnside'said slip; bottom plate inside the slip; sheaves on said bottom platein vertical: line With-the respectlve sheaves on sand frame; anda desire to secure 4 upwardly around the corresponding" sheave on the frame and having its other end at-' tached to the hoop which is attached inside the slip.

Illinois, this 24cth'day of August, 1921. Louis 0; SCHMI T-.1

Witnesses: I

' .W. J. AURELIUs, MARIE A. SARIES.

Signed at Springfield, Sangamon County, 1 7 

